GAZ-66 was known in all countries of the socialist camp.
The famous GAZ‑66, also known as “shishiga”, “bump” or “shishak”, was the first of the Soviet cars back in 1969 to receive the state “Quality Mark”.
The car at all times enjoyed great respect for its excellent cross-country ability.
On loose ground, the GAZ-66 could drive uphill at an angle of 22 degrees, and on hard ground it conquered even 37 degrees.
The Gorky Automobile Plant produced the GAZ-66 for 35 years: from 1964 to 1999. In total, about a million copies were released. “Shishiga” was successfully exported to all countries of the former socialist camp.
The car was made in several dozen variants – there was even an attempt to make a semblance of a bus designed for a nuclear conflict.
Among the shortcomings of the “shishigi”, they noted the inconvenient location of the gear lever (to the right behind the driver), as well as the heat in the cabin: the engine is nearby … The military, in addition, disliked cabover cars as a class due to insufficient driver protection in combat conditions.
Mikhail Kolodochkin has been collecting unusual facts from the history of technology for many years. For example, did you know why UAZ needs skis?
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Why was the GAZ-66 nicknamed “Shishiga”? We read about it here. “Behind the wheel” can be read in Odnoklassniki.
